Governor



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.v W. H. WATSON.

GOVERNOR.

'Paiented Feb. '6; 1.894.

$ INVENTOR M B) M 6 ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) I 2 SheetS -Sheet 2.

Y W. H. WATSON.

V GOVERNOR.

Pangaea Feb. 6, 1894. In

W/TNES v n,-

A TTOHNE Y S.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. -WATSON, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

GOVERNOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,294, dated February 6, 1894.

5 Application filed September 29, 1893. senate. 486,790. on model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. WATSON, of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Governor, of Which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in governors such as are used to regulate the speed of steam engines; and the object of my invention is to produce a very simple, inexpensive and efficient governor through which the steam passes on its way to the engine, and which operates to regulate the speed of the engine to a nicety without using any gearing or exterior mechanism.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forminga part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved governor. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the regulating piston. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal section of the piston on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the governor, similar to the section shown in Fig. 2, but with a modified means of working the regulating piston by hand.

The governor has an elongated casing 10, which, for convenience, is made in two parts 11 and 12 screwed together, as shown at 13 in Fig. 2, and the casing has at one end an inlet 14 and near the opposite end an outlet 15, the steam being adapted to flow through the easing to the engine, as hereinafter described.

The casing is internally thickened on opposite sides of its center, as shown M16 in Figs. 2, and

8, these thickened portions acting as guides and bearings for the sliding regulating piston 17, which piston is fitted steam tight in the said bearings and is, at opposite ends, formed into cylindrical chambers 18 and 19, the former being next theinlet end of the casing while the latter is in the outlet endof the casing. These two chambers 18 and 19 are entirely independent of each other and are connected by means of ports in the cylinders and a central chambar in the casing 10, the chamber 18 having ports 20 near its inner end and the chamber 19 having similar ports 21, both sets of ports connecting with the central chamber 22, as clearly shown in' Figs.2 and 8. The chamber 19'is of somewhat larger diameter than the chamber 18, so that the steam finds a ready exit through the ports 20 and 21 and chamber, and consequently when the 'engine is working easy the piston 17 will slide in one direction and when the engine is Working hard, the back pressure will slide the piston in the other direction, this arrangement being adapted to close and open the steam supply, as will appear clearly hereinafter. The exit end of the chamber 19 is beveled, as shown at 23, and by changing the pitch of this bevel the chamber maybe made to discharge its steam more or less easily as desired. The inlet end of the piston 17 is reduced, as shown at 24, and is held in the bushing 24. in the casing 10 and a chamber 25 is formed at the end of the bushing 29, which chamber hasa vent pipe 26 leading from it outward through the casing 10. The object of this arrangement is to provide an air cushion for the piston 17, for when it has been moved toward the outlet end of the casing and is then suddenly thrown back, the air in the chamber 25 cannot at once escape through the vent pipe 26,and hence an air cushion is formed which causes the piston to have an easy and steady motion. The piston 17 has its outer end, that is, the outer end of the chamber 19, arranged opposite a percussion plate 27, against which the piston moves to shut off the fio'w of steam, and this percussion plate has the end next the piston concave, as shown at 28, although it may be left flat with fair results. The percussion plate is held in a chamber 29 in the outlet end of the governor and is carried on the threaded end 30 of a stem or spindle 31, this having the threaded portion turning in a boss 32 within the casing 10, and the outer end of the spindle projects through a stuffing box 33 and is provided with a hand wheel or handle 34, bywhich it maybe turned so as to move it in or out, and in this way the percussion plate will be nicely adjusted.

The percussion plate being adjusted so as to permit the right throw of the piston, the operation is as followsz-As the steam enters the governor casing it passes through the ports 20, the chamber 22, and the ports 21, out through the outlet 15, to the engine. The chamber 19 being larger than the chamber 18 causes the steam to pass very rapidly from the chamber 18, and hence the pressure on the inner end of the said chamber pushes the piston toward the percussion plate 28, thus partially shutting off the steam, but if the engine labors a little harder the back pressure reacts on the inner end wall of the chamber 19, thus moving the piston 17 in the opposite direction, and in this way the piston is nicely balanced so that the steam supply is perfectly controlled and an even speed of the engine maintained.

The regulating piston is adapted to be moved back and forth automatically by the shifting steam pressure, as specified, but in case it should ever stick by reason of rust or for any other reason, it may be moved by hand so as to limber it up, and to this end the following mechanism is provided: The piston is slotted near the center, as shown at 35, and is mounted on the inner end of a screw 36 which enters the slot and which is secured in a plug 37, this being screwed into the casing opposite the central part of the piston. The slot 35 also receives an arm 38 which projects through a slot 39 in one side of the casing 10 and is carried by a shaft 40, which shaft is arranged at right angles to the piston, is held in a suitable housing 41 which is bolted to the casing 10, and is journaled in a stufiing box 42. The shaft may be provided with a crank or other handle, so that by oscillating it the arm 38 may be moved and the arm, striking against the opposite walls of the slot 35, will cause the piston 17 to be slipped back and forth in the casing.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified means of moving the piston by hand, which means is particularly adapted for locomotive use, and as here shown the housing 41 is dispensed with and the slot 39 closed by a plate 43, although the casing 10 may be made without the slot if desired. In this construction a spindle 44 extends endwise through the casing 10, the spindle 31, the percussion plate 27 and the piston 17, this spindle passing through a stulfing box 44 at the outer end of the spindle 32. The outer end of the spindle 44 is pivoted to a lever 45 which is fulcrumed, as shown at 46, and by working the lever back and forth on its fulcrum the spindle 44 may be reciprocated.

The spindle 44 is provided with a collar 47 which is held in the slot 35 of the piston, and consequently when the spindle is moved, the

collar strikes the opposite walls of the slot and moves the piston 17.

It will be readily understood that still other means may be employed for moving the piston by hand without affecting the principle of my invention.

Having thus described. my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A steam governor, comprising a casing having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other, a central chamber, a percussion plate held in the outlet end of the casing, and a piston held to slide through the central chamber, the piston having end chambers provided with ports leading to the central chamber, substantially as described.

2. A steam governor, comprising a casing having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other, a central chamber in the casing, a longitudinally adjustable percussion plate in the outlet end of the casing, a piston held to slide through the central chamber, chambers in opposite ends of the piston, and ports connecting the said chambers with the central chamber, substantially as described.

3. A steam governor, comprising a casing having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other, a percussion plate held in the outlet end of the casing, and a piston held to slide longitudinally in the casing opposite the percussion plate, the piston having independent chambers in its opposite ends with ports connecting the chambers, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the casing and the slidable regulating piston therein, of the air chamber formed around one end of the piston, and a vent pipe opening from the said chamber, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a casing having an inlet and outlet, of a sliding piston in the casing and having a chamber at each end, said chambers being provided with ports, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a casing havinga central chamber and an inlet and outlet, of a piston sliding in the casing and having end chambers of unequal size, the said chambers being provided with ports, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the casing having a suitable outlet and inlet and the regulating piston sliding in the casing, of the chambers formed in the ends of the piston and connected by ports, the chamber next the discharge end of the casing having a beveled edge, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a casing, of a sliding piston provided with a chamber at each end said chambers being provided with ports, and means for manually operating the piston, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. The combination with a casing, of a sliding piston provided with a chamber at each end said chambers having ports and with a slot between the chambers, a shaft or spindle, an arm carried byv the said shaft and projectand a projection carried by the shaft or spininginto the slot of thepiston, substantially as [0 die, and engaging the slot of the piston, subdescribed.

stantially as described.

5 10. The combination withacasing, of aslidv WILLIAM WATSQN' ing piston provided with a chamber at each Witnesses: end said chambers havingports and with a EDGAR TATE,

slot between the chambers, a rock shaft, and Y F. W. HANAFORD. 

